JP5132311B2 - How to do retail sales analysis - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention generally relates to analysis of transaction data, and more particularly allows a remote user to perform analysis on editing retail sales data (or other transaction data) via a computer system. Related to the method.

  In order to be successful in the constantly changing retail sector, companies are expected to maintain constant monitoring of market conditions. Demand for products and the prices they are willing to pay continue to change in response to changing consumer preferences, competitor activity, and general economic conditions. To excel in the retail market, regardless of whether you are a retailer or a supplier, you need detailed knowledge of market conditions, and this detailed knowledge is best derived from an elaborate analysis of retail sales data. Can be obtained. Thus, retailers and their suppliers can start accumulating compilations of growing data from retail transactions and closely watch the trends that become apparent from sales data.

  In order to maximize the benefits from such large and complex data editing, retailers and their suppliers have access to the data and as soon as the data has been collected, It is desired that individual analysis can be performed. The present invention satisfies this need.

  The illustrated embodiment of the present invention allows retailers and other authorized users, such as suppliers, to access retail sales and consumer data from a remote location using the Internet or other connected computer. And provides a method for performing sophisticated and very specific analyses. The accessed data is typically retail transaction data (eg, collected from an EPOS system) and / or consumer data (eg, frequent shopper cards or points used by consumers when they shop) And / or other relevant data that can be collected from time to time by resources available to those skilled in the art. Such data may also include, for example, but not limited to, demographic data associated with the consumer, or may include data relating to the promotional status of the product.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the systems and services provided by the present invention are web-based, and authorized users access the service from their remote desktop and upon completion, e.g., e Analytical projects delivered to them by email can be completed. In such an embodiment, the minimum software that needs to be installed on the authorized user's computer includes a web browser (or similar) application and appropriate spreadsheet software. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the project is generated as a spreadsheet-based interactive report (examples of which are described below), which are easy to manipulate for further analysis and presentation. Insights from these projects can lead to good decisions about new product launches, sampling, commercialization, inventory, distribution, and other sales and marketing priorities. In the illustrated embodiment, the project is interactive and the user can manipulate and extract information specific to the user's specific needs. Of course, the illustrated embodiment is web-based, but other computer embodiments, such as a single computer system using dedicated software, or may provide services via an intranet or private network. Indeed, it is included within the scope of the present invention.

Services / systems are designed to respond to important sales, marketing, category management / planning queries and provide brand / SKU levels and consumer insights, for example:
• Which of our last three promotions led to the largest increase in market share?
・ What is the customer profile of sincere product X? What else do you buy?
・ What is your competitor's brand / SKU?
• What impact and impact did the launch of our new product have on that category?
・ Which stores must start in-store sampling activities?

  Such insights can be used, for example, to give early indications of successful re-releases (i.e. do our releases achieve the expected level of trial and repeat purchases compared to competitors and categories?) Provide healthy and detailed consumer information at the individual product level available across the business, and review consumer purchase patterns over a period of time (eg, one year) to plan future marketing activities .

  Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention is the step of providing one or more databases containing transactions and / or consumer data for one or more companies in a method for performing analysis, comprising: transactions and / or consumption The consumer data is operatively coupled ("operably coupled") to a computer system that has access to the database and at least one transaction record that associates the product identification code with the consumer identification code. Formulating an analysis project request via a user interface (which means electrically coupled, coupled via a direct or indirect data link, or can be coupled via a direct or indirect data link) In response to receiving the analysis project request. And, providing the steps of generating by a computer system project for the transaction and / or consumer data, the method comprising a. In a more detailed embodiment, the user interface resides on a network device that is operatively coupled to the computer system via a global computer network. In yet another detailed embodiment, the network device is a web-enabled device operatively coupled to the computer system via the World Wide Web. In yet another detailed embodiment, the method further includes downloading a project from the computer system via the World Wide Web, or from the computer system to the global computer network via the global computer network. Sending the project to the coupled user computer.

In yet another detailed embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the one or more transaction records associate the product identification code with a transaction time and / or transaction date. In yet another detailed embodiment, the step of formulating an analysis project request includes selecting an analysis project from a predefined list of available analysis projects via a user interface. In yet another detailed embodiment, the predefined list of available analysis projects includes:
An analytical project that gives the rate at which the product associated with the product identification code is repeatedly purchased by the consumer associated with the consumer identification code; and / or
An analytical project that gives the rate at which the product associated with the seller identification code is cross-purchased by the consumer associated with the consumer identification code;
An analytical project that provides a comparison of the percentage of products associated with the first seller identification code and the products associated with the second seller identification code; and / or
An analytical project that gives a comparison of the proportion of products that are associated with a product identification code purchased by consumers in different purchaser categories, where the consumer category is demographic information associated with the consumer identification code, An analytical project that is defined based on data derived from a shopping history associated with a consumer identification code and / or data associated with price sensitivity associated with the consumer identification code.

  In another detailed embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, said step of formulating an analysis project request includes selecting one or more products from a list of available products.

  In another detailed embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method further comprises saving at least a portion of the analysis project request for reuse in formulating future analysis project requests.

  In another detailed embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the step of generating a project is repeated periodically.

  In another detailed embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the one or more transaction records associate a product identification code and a consumer identification code with a transaction price.

  In another detailed embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method further comprises downloading a project from the computer system.

  In another detailed embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method further comprises collecting at least a portion of the transaction and / or consumer data from the shopper's point card data.

  A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for performing an analysis comprising providing one or more databases containing transaction and / or consumer data for one or more companies, the transaction and / or consumer data. Including at least one transaction record associating a product identification code with a consumer identification code, generating a project for transactions and / or consumer data with a computer system capable of accessing a database, and a computer Transmitting a project to a user interface operatively coupled to the computer system by the system. In a more detailed embodiment, the step of generating a project is repeated periodically. In another detailed embodiment, the one or more transaction records associate a product identification code and a consumer identification code with a transaction price. In another detailed embodiment, the project provides a rate at which the product associated with the product identification code is repeatedly purchased by the consumer associated with the consumer identification code. In yet another detailed embodiment, the one or more transaction records associates the product identification code with the seller identification code, and the project includes a product associated with the seller identification code by the consumer associated with the consumer identification code. Gives the percentage to be cross-purchased. In yet another detailed embodiment, the one or more transaction records associate the product identification code with the seller identification code, and the project includes a product associated with the first seller identification code and a second seller identification code. Gives the rate at which related products are purchased. In yet another detailed embodiment, the one or more transaction records associate a consumer identification code with a buyer category, and the project purchases a product associated with the product identification code by consumers in different buyer categories. Give a comparison of the proportions that will be made.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method for performing an analysis comprises providing one or more databases containing transaction data and / or consumer data for one or more companies, and accessing the one or more databases. Providing a computer system capable of obtaining parameters for analysis of transactions and / or consumer data from a user via a computer interface provided by the computer system, and obtaining the parameters obtained by the computer system To the executable job file, executing the executable job file on the transaction and / or consumer data by the computer system, and returning the result, and the returned result A step of presentation to the user a project reflecting, is to provide a method which includes a. In a detailed embodiment, the parameters for analysis include parameters relating to the measure of transaction. In yet another detailed embodiment, the parameters for analysis include identification of an analysis format, identification of a retail product for analysis, and identification of a time frame for analysis. In yet another detailed embodiment, the analysis format relates to:
The rate at which consumers repeatedly purchase products,
The rate at which consumers repeatedly purchase products at certain types of companies,
The percentage of consumers cross-shopping the seller's products,
The proportion of consumers cross-shopping the seller's products at a specific company or in a specific type
Important sales measures in specific product categories,
An important measure of sales for the seller's product,
An important measure of sales for the seller's product over time,
An important measure of sales for a particular brand of product over time,
Other retail products purchased by consumers of the seller's products,
The location where a particular product was sold,
・ The place where products of the seller's brand were sold,
The form of the consumer purchasing the seller's product,
The form of the consumer who purchases the seller's product over time,
-The type of consumer who purchases the seller's product in a specific company or type of company.

  In another detailed embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, in the obtaining step, the user is prompted to select at least one of the parameters for analysis from a menu comprising a plurality of available parameters. In yet another detailed embodiment, the user is prompted to select each parameter for analysis from a menu.

  In another detailed embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, the computer interface is a web-based interface. In a more detailed embodiment, the method further comprises the step of verifying that the user has the right to access the computer system prior to the obtaining step.

  In another detailed embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, the providing step further comprises the step of merging the obtained parameters with an executable segment of code to generate an executable job file. Yes. In more detailed embodiments, the segment of executable code where the obtained parameters are merged is determined at least in part from at least one of the obtained parameters.

  In another detailed embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention, the project is presented as an interactive report, and the method further comprises generating an interactive report from the returned results, the generating step comprising: Selecting a project template from a plurality of available project templates based on the analysis format and populating the project template with at least a portion of the returned results.

  In another detailed embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention, the transaction and consumer data are associated with the ID of the product purchased, the amount of product purchased, the date of purchase, and the particular purchase consumer. Contains code.

  In another detailed embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, the project is presented as a spreadsheet file. In yet another detailed embodiment, the method comprises generating a spreadsheet file from the returned results, the generating step comprising: from a plurality of available spreadsheet project templates based on the obtained parameters. Selecting a spreadsheet project template and populating the spreadsheet project template with at least a portion of the returned results.

  In another detailed embodiment of the third aspect of the invention, the steps of presenting the project reflecting the returned analysis to the user include notifying the user of project availability and after notifying the user. Providing the user with access to the project when the user requests access to the project. In yet another detailed embodiment, the step of giving the user access to the project includes downloading the project to the user's computer. Alternatively, the step of giving the user access to the project comprises the process of giving the user access to the project via a web-based interface, via a web download, or by receiving the project by email. Including.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a computerized system for performing analysis in which: (a) one or more databases having transactions and / or consumer data for one or more retail companies, comprising transactions and / or Or a database wherein the consumer data includes at least one transaction record associating at least a product identification code with the consumer identification code; and (b) a computer system capable of accessing the database, wherein the transaction and / or consumption A computerized system comprising: generating a project for the worker data; and a computer system configured to perform the steps of transmitting the project to a user interface operably coupled to the computer system. It is to provide. In more detailed embodiments, the one or more transaction records associate a product identification code and a consumer identification code with a transaction price.

  In another detailed embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the project provides a rate at which the product associated with the product identification code is repeatedly purchased by the consumer associated with the consumer identification code.

  In another detailed embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the one or more databases comprise one or more product records associating the product identification code with the seller identification code, and the project is associated with the seller identification code. The rate at which the product is cross-purchased by the consumer associated with the consumer identification code.

  In another detailed embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the one or more databases comprise one or more product records associating the product identification code with the seller identification code, and the project is the first seller identification code. The rate at which the product associated with the product and the product associated with the second seller identification code are purchased.

  In another detailed embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the one or more databases comprise one or more customer records associating a consumer identification code with a buyer category, and the project includes a product identification code. Provides a comparison of the proportion of related products purchased by consumers in different consumer categories. In a more detailed embodiment, the consumer category is defined based on demographic information associated with the consumer identification code. Alternatively, the consumer category is defined based on data derived from the shopping history (price sensitivity) associated with the consumer identification code.

  In another detailed embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention, transaction and / or consumer data is retrieved from shopper point card data.

  In general, the present invention provides users with substantial flexibility in requesting and generating analytical projects for transactions and / or consumer data stored in one or more databases. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention provide retailers and other authorized users, such as suppliers, such as retail sales and consumer data from remote locations using internet-connected computers. It provides a way to access transactions and / or consumer data to perform sophisticated and highly specialized analysis. The accessed transaction and / or consumer data may be, for example, but not limited to, retail transaction data (eg, collected from an EPOS system), and / or consumer data (eg, when a consumer is shopping). Compiled from frequent shopper cards or point cards used by consumers).

  In the embodiments described below, the service provided by the present invention is a web-based tool, where authorized users access the tool from their remote desktop and upon completion, for example, by email. Projects delivered to them can be completed. In such an embodiment, it is not required to install dedicated software on the authorized user's computer, only a web browser (or similar) application. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the project is generated as a spreadsheet-based interactive report (examples of which are described below) that are easy to manipulate for further analysis and presentation. However, it is also within the scope of the present invention for computerized tools to reside on a private computer or computer system where the software is dedicated software, and the tools are provided across an intranet or other public or private computer or data network (and It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that access by a suitable interface or tool is within the scope of the present invention.

Services / systems are designed to respond to key sales, marketing, category management / planning, and provide brand / SKU level insights, for example:
• Which of our last three promotions led to the largest increase in market share?
• What is the profile of the faithful product X customer? What else do you buy?
・ What is your competitor's brand / SKU?
• What impact and impact did the launch of our new product have on that category?
・ Which stores must start in-store sampling activities?

  Such insights can be used, for example, to give early indications of successful re-releases (i.e. do our releases achieve the expected level of trial and repeat purchases compared to competitors and categories?) Provide healthy and detailed consumer information at the individual product level available across the business, and review consumer purchase patterns over a period of time (eg, one year) to plan future marketing activities .

  As used herein, “transaction and / or consumer data” refers to any, many, or all between a consumer and a company (or other provider of products as defined below). Refers to data relating to transactions and / or interactions. In the illustrated embodiment, the transaction and / or consumer data includes “shopping purchase data” or “shopping history data” that is information about the consumer's shopping history including the product ID and quantity purchased by the consumer. Can be included. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the transaction and / or consumer data may include consumer demographic data, data regarding shopping preferences, financial data, and the like. Other sources for such transactions and / or consumer data are voluntarily provided by consumers, data collected by financial institutions and / or retail companies linked to consumer credit cards or similar financial products. Data, publicly accessible transactions, consumer and / or financial data, data compiled by census organizations, consulting services, etc., and data provided by product manufacturers, suppliers and / or distributors Good (but not limited to).

  As used herein, the term “product” refers not only to consumer products that can be purchased at retail stores, but also to other products, consumables, services, or values that can be supplied to consumers by the company / provider. Including those with.

  As used herein, a “consumer” is an individual person or entity or group thereof that can be identified and linked or associated with transaction data for one or more of those transactions. A consumer may be (but is not limited to) an individual individual or customer, for example, a family consisting of a group of individuals who reside at the same address or use the same credit card account, or any other It can be a group of individuals or entities that have a relationship (eg belonging to an organization), or a company or government entity.

  Shopping purchase data can be collected using unique identification tags or cards commonly known as “frequent shopper cards” or “loyalty cards” possessed by each consumer. . Such a card or tag includes a unique identification code stored by a bar code, magnetic media or other data storage device and can be read by the electronic device in a variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art. Consumer shopping purchase data uses codes from frequent shopper cards as well as other consumer identification information (eg, phone numbers, store credit cards, bank credit cards, or check account numbers). Can be associated with consumers. In this way, the details of a particular transaction can be matched to a consumer's previous transaction, making it easy to continue adding transaction information to each consumer's record in the database.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the system for providing the web-based service of the illustrated embodiment has a number of tiers: a user phase 30, a presentation phase 32, a management phase 34, a processing phase 36, and a data phase 38. Is segmented into The user stage 30 is essentially a component that allows the user to access web-based services provided by the web server 40 of the presentation stage 32. In the user stage 30, the user accesses the presentation stage web server 40 via a computer network such as the Internet 42 using a suitable network-enabled (web-enabled) device such as a personal computer 44. Other network-enabled devices (PDA, cellular phone, etc.) will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The network-enabled device preferably includes a display and an input device (mouse, keyboard, voice recognition, etc.).

  The presentation stage web server 40 provides an authentication function 46 known to those skilled in the art to reliably identify the user. The presentation stage web server 40 also provides navigation known to those skilled in the art to control user navigation through project orders and other related applications / functions provided by the web server 40, as described in detail below. A function 48 is also provided. The web server 40 also includes an analysis project order and parameter collection function 50 for collecting selection and input data made by the user when setting up the analysis project described below. Finally, the presentation stage 32 also provides user access to the interactive project 52 and other data generated by the processing stage, as described in detail below.

  The management phase includes a management database 54 that communicates with the web server 40 to store input data, parameters and other selections made by the user when setting up the analysis project. This input data, parameters and other selections are made available to analysis project processing software 56 located in one or more central servers of processing stage 36.

  In the illustrated embodiment, an extensive permission control system is used to control who can be securely identified and authorized to access each feature of the service / system and parts of its data. To be implemented. This permission control system is managed by an authorized administrator using the authorization and configuration functions of the present invention, which relates to named permissions granted and / or denied to users and user groups. Information is stored in the shop management database 54 and retrieved. This permission control system is used to control whether individual users and defined user groups can access each part of the service / system. Associated with each prominent portion of the functionality of both large and small services / systems is associated with a named permission. Some permissions are associated with a single part of service / system functionality, and some are associated with multiple parts of service / system functionality. Users and user groups are granted access to permissions that have been determined appropriate by the administrator. If a user is granted access to a particular permission, that user can use the service / system features associated with that permission. Similarly, if a user is not granted access to a specific permission, the service / system features associated with that permission cannot be used. Some features in permissions that the user does not have access to are visually presented to the user by the web server 40, which suggests to the user that the user cannot use it in a commonly understood manner, and These features do not respond to the user. Other features that the user does not have access are simply invisible to the user. An authorized administrator can change the user's access to group permissions or membership whenever requested by the service / system operator.

  In process stage 36, analysis project processing software 56 constitutes executable analysis project scripts 58 that are executed against a subset of retail sales, consumers, and other data in database 60. As will be described below, the executable analysis project script 58 is comprised of an appropriate script template 61 obtained from the data stage 38, where the script template 61 includes input data, parameters and parameters entered by the user. Other selections are loaded. Multiple instances of the analytical project processing software 56 can be hosted on the same physical server, and all of the multiple physical servers can process projects generated in the same shop management database 54.

  Transactions and / or consumer data resident in database 60 include multiple record formats, with the primary record format being a retail sales or “transaction” record format. For each transaction record, in the illustrated embodiment, a code that identifies the SKU / product purchased by the consumer for the transaction; a code that identifies a particular transaction or “basket”; consumption due to the transaction A code that identifies the store; a code that identifies the store where the transaction took place; data on the amount of product purchased and the amount spent, data such as date of purchase, time of day; and generating a project based on such transaction data Other data or codes useful for doing so are provided, for example, codes indicating the region of purchase.

  The code of the transaction record identifying the SKU / product is used as a reference to the “product” record format, and for each product record, in the illustrated embodiment, product grouping or categorization data or code; Manufacturer or supplier data or code; and other data or codes useful for generating a project based on a combination of transaction, consumer and product data, such as suggested retail price data.

  The transaction record code identifying the consumer for the transaction is used as a reference to the “family” record format, and for each family record, in the illustrated embodiment, the consumer demographic, geo-population Generate projects based on a combination of statistics, newness of purchase, purchase frequency, consumption, fidelity, product purchase history, shopping history, shopping preferences data and / or code, and transaction and consumer data Other data or codes useful for are provided.

  The code of the transaction record that identifies the store where the transaction took place is used as a reference to the “Store” record format, for each store record, in the illustrated embodiment, store name data; And other data or codes useful for generating a project based on a combination of transaction, consumer and store data.

  As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the database record structure described above is merely illustrative, and an unrestricted combination of database records and hierarchical structures can result in transaction information, product information, consumer information, store information, location. Information, timing information, and other suitable information can be used to cross-reference each other. Further, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention is not limited to use in retail store transactions, and the present invention includes most (if not all) types of transactions (financial / bank transactions, insurance). Transaction, service transaction, telecom, etc.), where the database structure and hierarchy can be adapted to generate a project for such another transaction and / or consumer data.

  Referring back to the system of FIG. 1, the user logs into the web server 40 from a remote location via a personal computer 44 or other web-enabled device, enters parameters defining the user's desired analysis project, and And / or select and then submit the analysis project for processing. When the user submits an analysis project order, the actual processing of the project takes place at the management stage 34, the processing stage 36 and the data stage 38. The data returned by the analysis project processing software 56 is inserted into the interactive spreadsheet template file 63 to generate an interactive project 65 where the results can be presented in a format that is easily interpreted by the user. it can. The specific format of the interactive spreadsheet 65 varies based on what type of analysis project is being performed, and the appropriate format was used to encode the analysis project at the front end, as described above. It is specified by the script template 61. The user can specify that a notification is desired when the project is complete, and this notification can be done via email or a message service such as SMS64. Thus, data editing and processing are both managed by the central system server (s), and individual users can design customized analysis projects tailored to their business needs. Can do.

  FIGS. 2-4 are screenshots illustrating the menu / form presented to the user by the web server 40 in the initial step of ordering the analysis project. In general, the entire process of this method is initiated by a user who can log into the web server 40 from a remote location. The user first selects the type of analysis project to be ordered. The user is then further prompted to select the parameters necessary to configure their desired analysis project.

  As shown in FIG. 2, after the user logs into the web server 40 through the authentication function 46, the initial screen provided by the web server provides a menu 66 of selectable analysis projects that can be performed. As described above, the permission control system restricts the menu of available analysis projects that the user is authorized to order (ie, available analysis projects paid by the user). Available analysis projects can be arranged in a graphic hierarchy to facilitate navigation of the order process. Figure 2 shows an example of this. The available analytic projects are in three categories: Customer Insight Projects (Standard), Customer Insight Projects (Regional) (Customer Insight Projects (Standard)). Regional)), and Extracts. The first two categories, labeled Customer Insight Projects, contain a number of identical analysis projects, the first category generates projects derived from full editing of sales data, while the second category is designated Generate projects derived from sales data specific to the region.

  As the user selects the type of analysis project to be performed, more screens will be presented as needed to provide information and prompt the user to set the data filter, and the specific data set of interest to the user Ensure that analysis is performed on. Project-specific information selected, entered, and otherwise provided by the user is captured and stored in the management database 54 of the management stage 34. In the example shown here, the user has selected an analysis project titled “What are the weekly key measures for my products?” 67. Thus, an additional screen is provided to the user to select the product and week on which the analysis is to be performed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in the next step, the user is prompted to select a product group to perform the analysis. Product groups precisely define the products for which sales data is analyzed. Product groups may be pre-defined or may be defined by the user (as described below). As shown in FIG. 3, product groups and categories are provided to the user in the hierarchy of folders 68, from which one or more product groups may be selected. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the selected product group is a user-defined group (user is “edb”) indicated as “Eds Cheeses” 70.

  Following product group selection, in this example, the user is presented with a screen as shown in FIG. 4 to select a time period from a menu of selectable time periods 72 where sales data is analyzed. Ask for. As shown in FIG. 4, the illustrated embodiment provides a time period consisting of one or more weeks. In this example, the user selects the time period indicated as “The week 22-Mar-2004 to 28-Mar-2004” 74.

  When the user makes the necessary selections (in this example, project type, project group, and time period), the job or analysis project request is complete. The user is then presented with a screen as shown in FIG. 5, which briefly summarizes the analysis project defined by the user's selection. When the user confirms that this analysis project description is correct, the user submits the project for processing by clicking or activating the “Finish” button 76 when instructed. be able to.

  When a user submits an analysis project for processing, the project encodes the user-selected parameters into an executable script written in an appropriate commercially available scripting language. Some suitable scripting languages include, but are not limited to, VBScript, Java® Script, Perl, Korn Shell, etc.

  More particularly, referring again to FIG. 1, once a project is configured and submitted for processing using the project order and parameter collection function 50 in the web server 40, the web server identifies the job parameters. And the related data are inserted into the shop management database 54. The shop management database 54 contains a log of various analysis objects requested by each user and maintains a record containing selected values entered by the user defining each project. When the project is ready for execution, the analysis project processing software 56 residing on the central server retrieves the selected parameters from the shop management database 54 and identifies them by inserting them into the new script file template 61. The generation of the analysis project script 58 is started for the analysis.

In the illustrated embodiment, the analysis project script is a package of code that is executed against retail sales, consumer and other data in the database 60 to execute the specific analysis project requested by the user. . The analysis project script 58 is configured by the analysis project processing software 56 using the following combinations.
A code specific to the project format, which is specific to the format of the ordered analysis project (for example, the questions necessary to carry out the requested analysis project).
A project specific code that is specific to a particular analysis project order (eg, user name, product of interest, week of interest, etc.).
-A common code that is common to all analysis jobs.
Architectural data stage 38 includes project type specific code and general code that is retrieved by analysis project processing software 56 and added to analysis project script 58, while project specific code is stored in the shop management database described above. 54.

  In the next step, the analysis project script 58 is executed against the transaction and / or consumer data in the database 60, or a subset thereof. The script 58 queries the record in the database 60 and returns the collected data to answer questions posed by the user's analysis project. In this search / query operation, the script 58, as described in the previous example, is the type of sales information sought, the product group (s) to be searched, and the time frame to be searched (one or Search for transactions, consumers and other data that match the search parameters (filters) entered by the user including

  Other filters within the scope of the present invention (in addition to the product groups and time frames used in the examples shown) are individual time periods, multiple time periods (including weeks, days, hours), This includes, but is not limited to, stores, geography (regions), individual products, and groups of consumers with specific consumer / demographic / behavioral attributes. The product group filter is based on, for example, category, price, brand, deformation, pack size, type, or a combination thereof, but is not limited thereto.

  Following execution of the analysis project script, the data returned by the search operation is inserted into the interactive spreadsheet template file 63 to generate an interactive project 65, where the results are easily interpreted by the user. Format. The specific format of the interactive spreadsheet 65 will differ based on what type of analysis project is being performed, and as described above, depending on the script template 61 used to encode the analysis project at the front end. An appropriate format is specified. For each form of analysis project, the script template 61 utilized is a corresponding spreadsheet template that is formatted in an appropriate manner to receive and present the data returned by the search / query for that analysis project. Associated with Projects such as Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, StarOffice Calc, OpenOffice, OrgCalc can be generated using the appropriate spreadsheet product for use in the present invention. Projects can also occur in other suitable formats, using other suitable tools (whether pre-built, custom-made, or a combination of both) and the project format described here Is within the scope of the present invention and will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  After the analysis data is imported into the interactive spreadsheet file, the finished analysis project embedded in the spreadsheet file is announced / sent to the user who requested the project. The appearance and content of the final project depends on the format of the analytical project. FIG. 6 is configured as described above in FIGS. 2-5, for example, analyzing sales data for the week from March 22, 2004 to March 28, 2004 for the product subgroup “Eds Cheeses”. The “What are the weekly key measures for my products?” Project 78 is shown. To examine the structure and layout of this type of project, please refer to FIG. 7H and the accompanying description below.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, another interactive project 80 provided by the illustrated embodiment is titled “Who buys my brand?”. As shown in this exemplary project, a number of products 82 are provided, along with instructions in the form of consumers 84 who bought those products over a given time period. Purchases of such products can be subdivided based on the consumer's “Detailed Lifestyle” as shown in this example, where the consumer ’s lifestyle is: They are subdivided into the following categories: “Lifestyle A”, “Lifestyle B”, “Lifestyle C”, “Lifestyle D”, “Lifestyle E”, and “Lifestyle F”. These detailed lifestyle category instructions can be provided to the consumer records in the database 60 for each consumer record. Such categorization can be determined by a number of methods. In the illustrated embodiment, a consumer purchase is analyzed over time to determine the type of product most commonly purchased by the consumer (where such a product typically purchases it) Tagged with consumer-type categories, ie, whole wheat bread products are tagged as categories of products purchased by “health-conscious” consumers, and caviar is purchased by “rich” consumers Tagged as a product category, and so on). Based on the purchase history, the consumer can be profiled or categorized in one of the categories described above (“Lifestyle A-F”). Alternatively, consumers may be profiled or categorized based on other information or additional information, such as demographic information, or information provided by the consumer (eg, by filling in questions). Other consumer profiles / subdivisions in the illustrated embodiment may be obtained directly from or from demographic data, age, shopping frequency, regionality, geo-demographic data, and consumers. Data derived from an address or purchase behavior may be included, but is not limited thereto.

  The resulting interactive display is shown in this example in two ways: a table format 86 and a bar graph format 88. In this interactive project, the user can select a different consumer profile via pull-down menu 90, so the results may be re-tabulated and displayed by the project based on another selected profile. The user is also allowed to select an index via pull-down menu 92 and limit the display of projects to certain consumer categories.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, a project 94 similar to that described above is titled “Who buys my brand over time?”. In this project, the sale of one or more products may occur in different time periods, eg, “First 4 Weeks”, “Second 4 Weeks”, and “Third 4 Weeks”. (3rd 4 weeks) "is compared. Similar to the exemplary project described above, such sales are divided by the profile / category of the consumer who purchased the product during these three time periods. Such an analysis / project allows, for example, to determine sales figures before, during and after a special promotion cycle.

  As shown in FIG. 7C, another interactive project 96 titled “How are people repeat purchasing my product?” Allows the user to create new and existing products. Allow to evaluate the repetition rate of vs competitor products or product categories. Projects allow users to examine periodic (weekly) data or to investigate cumulative effects over a period of time. For a given product, the number of times the product has been repeatedly purchased by the consumer is displayed in both the bar graph 98 and the table form 100 for each multiple week (or selected time period). In the bar graph 98, when a product is purchased for the first time by the consumer (number of purchases = 1), it is indicated by the first color, and the product is purchased by the consumer for the second time (number of purchases = 2). In some cases, it is shown in a different color, and so on, and the last color is for products purchased more than six times. Interactive projects allow users to switch between weekly data views (shown) and cumulative data views and between consumer count views (shown) and sales unit views. To. Finally, pull-down menu 102 allows the user to filter projects through various selectable store formats.

  As shown in FIG. 7D, another interactive project 104 titled “What other products are found in my consumer's baskets?” Or allow the user to evaluate which products were bought at the same time as the product group. The output project will look at the basket level data and consumer data, and the user will be able to see the retailer's entire basket and define a basket containing the selected product and a second designated area.

  As shown in FIG. 7E, another interactive project 112 titled "Where is my brand sold (product level)" Allow consumers to purchase their products and competitors' products at top and bottom performance stores. The user can also see a list of all stores as necessary. You can use the output project to see how the product is performing across different stores. Insights from this project can lead to good decisions about new product launches, sampling, commercialization, classification, distribution, and other sales and marketing priorities. As shown in this project, three tables are prepared: Sales Total (sales total) 114, Sales by Store Type (sales by store type) 116, and Sales by Store (sales by store) 118. In each table, the first column represents the total number of consumers buying a product of a particular selected brand, the second column represents the total number of brand units purchased, and the third column represents these The value of sales is given, the fourth column gives the percentage of purchases by consumers versus all consumers in a given row (store type or store), the fifth column shows the consumer vs. total consumption in a given row Column 6 gives the percentage of the price of these sales for a given row, column 7 gives the consumer penetration percentage, and the last column gives the given brand Gives the average consumption of each consumer.

  As shown in FIG. 7F, another interactive project 120 titled “What are the key measures for my products?” Allows users to view their products and competitors. Allow you to evaluate key consumer and sales measures for your products. The scales included in the project are: store sales distribution, number of units sold, price of units sold, number of consumers buying the selected product, purchasing the selected product in a given time period Total consumer visits, consumer penetration, average weight of each purchase of the selected product, purchase frequency, market share, and unit price. As shown in FIG. 7F, the interactive project provides such an important measure in both table form 122 and bar chart form 124. A pull-down menu 126 allows the user to select which important measures should be shown in the bar graph display 124. Sub-table 128 provides another view of a particular critical measure. FIGS. 7H and 7I, discussed below, provide another example of an interactive project of critical scale.

  As shown in FIG. 7G, another interactive project 130 titled “How many people cross-shop my products?” Allows users to rate how cross-shopping across SKUs, brands, or categories. The project includes the amount of consumers and the number of units they consider. Projects can be used, for example, for new project development / lists. Another area where the project can be used is to identify whether a link save or multipack format is appropriate across different SKU / product areas. The cross-shopping statistical data is represented by a Venn diagram 132 and a crossing table 134.

As shown in FIG. 7H, the interactive project 136 titled “What are the weekly key measures for my products?” Is a brand performance measure for user-defined product groups. Give an overview of This project is interactive and is designed to allow the user to manipulate and extract information specific to the user's specific needs. This project can give:
-Sales price, units, consumers and number of visits-Number of consumers, average purchase weight (price or units)
•% share of subgroups and customer penetration across all selected retailers. These measures can also be considered in different ways:
Table 138 for cross-tabbing products by week
A bar graph (not shown) that can be selected by activating the “View as Chart” button 139 and allows the user to view data by individual product or week
• Ability to drill down on a weekly or SKU level • Ability to sort by alphabet or selected scale The pull-down menu 140 allows the user to select the format and specificity of the display. In FIG. 7H, the sales price for the selected product is shown in table form weekly.

  As shown in FIG. 7I, another interactive project 142 titled “What are the key measures for my products over time?” Gives an interactive project showing a comparison of two time periods. This project 142 includes dynamic text in the text book 144 that gives an explanation of the change and which important measures drive the change. This project gives a quick “health check” of the performance of selected products. This project can be used to easily understand whether market share is increasing or whether the number of units sold is decreasing. This is an ideal project for analyzing monthly or yearly. As shown in FIG. 7I, a pull-down menu 146 allows the user to select project specialities and the selected measure compares the latest period to the previous period and includes a table form 148 that includes a comparison index. Shown in both bar graph form 150.

  As shown in FIG. 7J, another interactive project 152 titled “How does my brand sell over time?” Split by hours, days, and weekends versus weekdays. This project 152 provides information that can be used to understand out-of-stock issues and identify requests to assist with supply chain management during the day, weekdays and weekends. The project provides selected critical measures for a product or product group in table form 154 and curve graph form 156. Button 158 provides a menu for the user to change the important scale (s) displayed when this is operated. The graph 156 within a project can display multiple SKU products simultaneously (with different curve colors) and can include all subgroups of products (as shown in the example project of FIG. 7J).

  In many or all of the exemplary projects shown in FIGS. 7A-7J, buttons / icons that allow the user to start support functions / programs, such as Print 160; Toolbars 162; Glossary ( Glossary 164; Contact Us 166; Sort 168; and Export Chart / Table / Diagram / Data 170.

  At any time, the user can log into the system and view the status of the analysis project submitted for processing. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a screen view showing a project state of a specific user. In this example, the screen shows a project that is pending at 4:36:10 pm on April 14, 2004 for the user name “ebd”. This list includes two projects, each listing a job number, user name, project state, and project description. In this example, both projects listed have a status of “PROCESSING”. FIG. 9 is a status screen showing the history of a completed project, showing the various events, the steps performed during the processing of that project, and the time at which each event or step is performed.

  As described in the exemplary process shown in FIG. 3, the product for which sales data is analyzed is selected from a list of product groups. The user can create product groups by identifying which individual products they want to group together. FIG. 10 is a screenshot of the beginning of the product group generation process. In the left box 172, various broad categories of products are listed, and the user selects the appropriate product category for the products that they want to group together. In this example, the user selects the “Wines & Spirits” category 174. The next screen shown in FIG. 11 lists in box 176 several narrow categories of products that fall into the broad “Wines & Spirits” category already selected by the user.

  After the user has made this further selection of a narrow product category, a screen as shown in FIG. 12 is provided that lists the individual products of that selected category. In this example, the user selects “Bacon Products” and box 178 lists all available bacon products predefined for that category. From this product list in box 178, the user can add individual products to be added to his customized product group. The user clicks on the desired product to highlight it, then clicks on the “add” button 180 so that the highlighted product appears in the right box 182, and thus the user's Indicates that it has been selected for inclusion in a customized subgroup. This selection process can be repeated until the customized subgroup includes all the individual products that the user wishes to include. The user is then presented with the “Save Product Group” screen shown in FIG. 13, which prompts the user to enter a name and description for the generated subgroup. In this example, the user names the subgroup “david's bacon.”. Once the subgroup is created, it is listed in the folder structure and can be selected to accomplish the analysis project, as shown in FIG.

  From the above description and the summary of the present invention, those skilled in the art will understand that the systems and processes described here constitute an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these strict systems and processes. It will be understood that changes may be made without departing from the scope defined by the claims. Further, the present invention is limited by the scope of the claims, and the constraints or elements describing the embodiments are incorporated into the meaning of the claims unless they are expressly recited in the claims. Not intended. Similarly, it is to be understood that it is not necessary to satisfy any or all of the advantages or objectives of the invention disclosed herein for inclusion in the claims. This is because the present invention is limited by the claims and the inherent and / or unexpected effects of the present invention may exist even if not explicitly stated herein.

It is a figure showing roughly the system and software composition in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot that asks the user to select the type of analysis project to be performed. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot that asks a user to select a product group to perform an analysis. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot that asks a user to select a time period during which sales data is analyzed. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot that summarizes an analysis project defined by a user selection. FIG. 6 illustrates an example interactive project for the example project generated from FIGS. 2-5. It is a figure which shows the Example of the interactive project produced | generated in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the Example of the interactive project produced | generated in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the Example of the interactive project produced | generated in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the Example of the interactive project produced | generated in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the Example of the interactive project produced | generated in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the Example of the interactive project produced | generated in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the Example of the interactive project produced | generated in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the Example of the interactive project produced | generated in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the Example of the interactive project produced | generated in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the Example of the interactive project produced | generated in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which illustrates the screenshot which shows the project state with respect to a specific user. It is a figure which illustrates the screenshot which instruct | indicates the career of the completed object. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot for the start of a subgroup generation process. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot that lists a number of narrow categories of products that fall into a broad category previously selected by a user during subgroup generation. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot that lists individual products in a group selected by a user during subgroup generation. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot that prompts a user to enter a name and description for a subgroup that is being generated. FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot showing newly created subgroups listed in a file tree.

Claims (45)

A method for performing transaction related analysis,
Providing one or more computerized databases including at least one of transaction and consumer data for one or more companies, wherein at least one of the transaction and consumer data includes at least a product identification code; Including one or more transaction records associated with a consumer identification code;
Formulating an analysis project request via a user interface operably coupled to a computer system capable of accessing the database;
Generating an analysis project for at least one of the transaction and consumer data by the computer system in response to receiving the analysis project request;
Formulating the analysis project request comprises:
Selecting an analysis project from a predefined list of available analysis projects via the user interface;
The computer system obtains an executable analysis project script template based on at least a portion of the selected analysis project, wherein the template is the transaction for searching or querying the analysis project. Associated with a spreadsheet that is also used to format the analysis results of
Selecting one or more analysis parameters associated with the analysis project via the user interface;
The computer system can execute the selected one or more analysis parameters to build an analysis project script that is to be executed on at least one of the transaction and consumer data in the generating step. Loading from the database with a template for a simple analysis project script,
Generating the analysis project comprises:
An analysis parameter selected from the result data of one analysis project is further received via the user interface, and the selected analysis parameter is inserted into a new template, thereby making the one analysis project based on the one analysis project. Generating said another analytical project. Downloading the result data from the computer system via the World Wide Web; and
Transmitting the result data from the computer system via the global computer network to a user computer operably coupled to the global computer network;
The method of claim 1, further comprising steps taken from the group consisting of:   The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more transaction records associate the product identification code with at least one of a transaction time and a transaction date.   The pre-defined list of available analysis projects includes an analysis project that provides a percentage that a product associated with the product identification code is repeatedly purchased by a consumer associated with the consumer identification code. The method described in 1. The one or more transaction records associate the product identification code with a seller identification code;
The predefined list of available projects is
(i) the proportion of products associated with the seller identification code that are cross-purchased by consumers associated with the consumer identification code; or
(ii) a comparison of the proportion of products purchased in relation to the first seller identification code and products related to the second seller identification code;
The method of claim 1, comprising an analysis project that provides The one or more transaction records associate the consumer identification code with a buyer category;
The pre-defined list of available analysis projects includes an analysis project that provides a comparison of the rate at which products associated with the product identification code are purchased by consumers of different consumer categories. the method of.   The consumer category is defined based on either demographic information associated with the consumer identification code, data derived from shopping history, or data associated with price sensitivity. The method of claim 6.   The method of claim 1, wherein prior to the step of selecting one or more products from a list of available products, selecting a product category from a list of available product categories.   The method of claim 1, further comprising storing at least a portion of the analysis project request for reuse in formulating a future analysis project request. The one or more transaction records associate the product identification code with a seller identification code;
The analysis project request is:
(i) the proportion of products associated with the seller identification code that are cross-purchased by consumers associated with the consumer identification code; or
(ii) a comparison of the proportion of products purchased in relation to the first seller identification code and products related to the second seller identification code;
The method of claim 1, wherein the method relates to an analytical project that provides The one or more transaction records associate the consumer identification code with a buyer category;
The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis project request relates to an analysis project that provides a comparison of the rate at which products associated with the product identification code are purchased by consumers of different purchaser categories.   The purchaser category is defined based on at least one of demographic information associated with the consumer identification code, data derived from a shopping history, or data associated with price sensitivity. The method of claim 11.   The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting at least a portion of the transaction and / or consumer data from shopper point card data. A method for performing transaction analysis,
Providing one or more databases containing at least one of transaction and consumer data for one or more companies;
Providing a computer system capable of accessing the one or more databases;
Obtaining an analysis project selection from a user via a computer interface provided by the computer system;
Obtaining from the user parameters for analysis of at least one of the transaction and consumer data via the computer interface provided by the computer system;
The computer system supplying the obtained parameters to a template of an executable analysis project script corresponding to the analysis project selection to generate an executable job file through a search of the database; , The template is associated with a spreadsheet that is also used to provide an analysis format in which a user can interpret the analysis results of the transaction for searching or querying the analysis project;
The computer system executing the executable job file for at least one of the transaction and consumer data and returning results, selected from the result data of one analysis project; Further comprising generating another analysis project based on the one analysis project by further receiving the analysis parameter via the user interface and inserting the selected analysis parameter into a new template. When,
Presenting the user with a project reflecting the returned result;
With a method.   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the parameters for analysis include identification of a parameter or analysis format for a retail sales measure.   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis format relates to a rate at which consumers make repeated purchases of retail products.   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis format relates to a rate at which consumers make repeated purchases of retail products at a particular type of retail company.   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis format relates to a rate at which a consumer cross-shops a seller's retail product.   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis format relates to a rate at which a consumer cross-shops a seller's retail product at one of a particular retail company and a particular type of retail company.   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis format relates to important sales measures in a particular retail product category.   The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis format relates to an important sales measure for a seller's retail product.   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis format relates to an important sales measure for a particular brand of retail product over time.   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis format relates to other retail products purchased by a seller's retail product consumer.   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis relates to where a particular retail product was sold or where a seller's brand retail product was sold.   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis relates to a consumer's type of purchase of a seller's retail product over time or at one of a particular retail company and a particular type of retail company.   In the obtaining step, via the computer interface provided by the computer system for parameters for the analysis of at least one of the transaction and consumer data, a user can select from a menu containing a plurality of available parameters. The method of claim 14, wherein the method is prompted to select at least one parameter for analysis. The project is presented as a spreadsheet file,
The method further comprises generating the spreadsheet file from the returned results,
The generating step selects a spreadsheet project template from a plurality of available spreadsheet project templates based on the analysis format and populates the spreadsheet project template with at least a portion of the returned results. 15. The method of claim 14, comprising the step of:   15. The method of claim 14, wherein the transaction and / or consumer data includes a purchased product ID, a quantity of purchased product, a purchase date, and a code for a particular purchased consumer.   The method of claim 14, wherein the project is presented as an interactive project.   Generating the interactive project from the returned results, the generating step selecting a project template from a plurality of available project templates based on at least one of the obtained parameters and 30. The method of claim 29, comprising populating a project template with at least a portion of the returned results. Presenting the user with a project reflecting the returned analysis;
Notifying the user of the availability of the project;
15. The method of claim 14, comprising providing the user access to the project after notifying the user and when the user requests access to the project.   32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of providing a user with access to a project includes providing the user with access to a project via a web-based interface. A computerized system for performing analysis,
One or more databases having at least one of transaction and consumer data for one or more companies, wherein at least one of said transactions and consumer data associates at least a product identification code with a consumer identification code The database containing transaction records of
An executable code template for a plurality of analysis project scripts, and a spreadsheet template for interacting output of the plurality of analysis projects, the template analyzing the transaction for searching or querying the analysis project Associated with a spreadsheet that is also used to format the results into a user-interpretable format,
A computer system that accesses the database and a template of the plurality of analysis project scripts and an interactive output spreadsheet of the plurality of analysis projects through a search of the database;
A project for at least one of the transaction and consumer data, a selected one of the plurality of analysis project script templates and a selected one of the output spreadsheet templates interacting with the plurality of analysis projects. A step of generating using any of the above, further receiving an analysis parameter selected from the result data of one analysis project via the user interface, and using the selected analysis parameter as a new template. Generating another analysis project based on the one analysis project and transmitting the interacting output to a user interface coupled to the computer system by inserting. The relevant computer And a computer system.   34. The computerized system of claim 33, wherein the one or more transaction records associate the product identification code and consumer identification code with a transaction price.   34. The computerized system of claim 33, wherein the project provides a rate at which a product associated with the product identification code is repeatedly purchased by a consumer associated with the consumer identification code. The one or more databases include one or more product records associating the product identification code with a seller identification code;
34. The computerized system of claim 33, wherein the project provides a rate at which a product associated with the seller identification code is cross-purchased by a consumer associated with the consumer identification code. The one or more databases include one or more product records associating the product identification code with a seller identification code;
34. The computerized system of claim 33, wherein the project provides a rate at which a product associated with a first seller identification code and a product associated with a second seller identification code are purchased. The one or more databases include one or more consumer records that associate the consumer identification code with a buyer category;
34. The computerized system of claim 33, wherein the project provides a comparison of the rate at which products associated with the product identification code are purchased by consumers of different consumer categories.   39. The computerized system of claim 38, wherein the consumer category is defined based on data derived from a shopping history associated with the consumer identification code or data associated with price sensitivity.   34. The computerized system of claim 33, wherein the transaction and / or consumer data is obtained from shopper reward card data. The step of generating an analysis project by the computer system comprises:
The computer system executing the executable analysis project script on at least one of the transaction and consumer data to generate result data;
The computer system obtains a spreadsheet template;
The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system includes inserting the results data into the spreadsheet template to provide the analysis project.   42. The method of claim 41, wherein the spreadsheet template is an interactive spreadsheet template and the analysis project is an interactive analysis project. Further comprising determining authorization rights of the user to access the computer system;
In the step of obtaining from the user via a computer interface provided by the computer system, an analysis project request provides a menu to the user interface that includes a list of available project requests for the user to select. 15. The method of claim 14, including and wherein the list of available project requests is provided based at least in part on the user's authorization rights.   30. The method of claim 29, wherein the interacting project provides a user-related ability to switch between two or more different format displays of returned results. 34. The selected one of the plurality of interactive output spreadsheet templates provides a user-related ability to switch between two or more different format displays of the returned results. Computerized system .

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